Football Pitch Construction for Warrender School, Ruislip

Football Pitch Construction Contract

Sherriff was contracted by Thomas Sinden Ltd, the incumbent construction company for Warrender School, to build a football pitch on existing school grounds. The new pitch was needed following the construction of a new classroom block.

The football pitch design was part of Thomas Sinden Ltd's initial brief and had to meet Sport England specifications.

As the work was being carried out on an active school campus, it was important to ensure that all necessary safeguarding policies and procedures were in place.

Due to the project deadline, the work was carried out during term time to ensure timely completion. Naturally, every effort was made to work around the school's busiest activities, such as drop-off and pick-up times.

Football Pitch Construction Works

To begin construction of the football pitch, the top 300mm of soil was excavated and stored safely in a holding area on site. The team then de-compacted the subsoil layer to a depth of 350-450mm using a deep ripper tine. This was necessary to loosen the ground sufficiently to allow cultivation.

Once the de-compaction was complete, the subsoil was re-graded using a Blec laser grader to achieve the correct levels for the original topsoil. It was then backfilled and consolidated, with the remaining outfield feathered in to meet the pitch level.

Once the initial levelling was complete, the original surface was stone-buried and the primary cultivations were de-compacted.

Football Pitch Drainage

The next phase was to install the drainage system to Sport England specifications. This involved trenching lateral drains spaced at no more than 5 metres apart. Once installed, the drainage system was connected to an existing surface water drain on site.

During the works, an additional dry swale drain was installed to divert surface water runoff from the playground to the sports pitch. This was connected to an existing chamber installed by the client.

Football Pitch Preparation & Seeding

Once the drainage was in place, a specialist rootzone mix was distributed using a Dakota top dresser spreader and levelled to a depth of 25mm across the playing surface.

The final pre-seeding cultivations and preparation works were then undertaken to ensure the correct levels and soil conditions for seeding. A pre-seeding fertiliser was then applied to provide the soil with the nutrients necessary for the grass seed to germinate quickly.

To complete this phase, a sports grass seed mix was sown at a rate of 50g/m2 using a pedestrian Culti-pack seeder.

After seeding, the pitch was harrowed and rolled.

Football Pitch Maintenance Service

Following the installation of the pitch, as well as undertaking the regular grass cutting operations, a maintenance programme was initiated with some of following tasks undertaken.

• Seasonal fertiliser treatments of at a rate of 35gms/m2 – to enhance grass growth and improve soil quality.
• Rolling the pitch area using 3-tonne twin cylinder vibrating roller – to help the grass roots to establish and improve the overall quality of the surface.
• Vert-draining of the pitch using 18mm tines at a depth of 6-8” – to alleviate compaction and increase oxygen within the soil to improve grass growth.
• Over-seeding complete pitch x 3 passes at a rate of 35gms/m2 – to improve grass coverage and introduce different grass species if required to improve growth properties.
• Selective herbicide treatment – to manage the broadleaf weed within the grass sward.